Acquittals

Mrs. Curtis-Thomas:
To ask the Solicitor-General what analysis she has undertaken to determine the reasons for (a) judge-ordered and (b) judge-directed acquittals. [60202]

The Solicitor-General:
I regularly receive reports from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), who maintain a record of the number of cases resulting in a judge-ordered or directed acquittal and capture a broad analysis of the reasons underlying the failure of the case.

1 Jul 2002 : Column 23W

The figures shown in the table contain an analysis for the year ending March 2002. The figures in column one represent the number of defendants whose case resulted in a judge-ordered or judge-directed acquittal together with the reasons for the outcome. The figures in column two express these as a percentage of completed Crown Court cases (not including cases dealt with under its appellate jurisdiction).

In the year 200102 a judges-ordered or directed acquittal in 13,306 cases, representing 15.8 per cent. of the total. Of these, the largest figure (4,515 cases) represents cases where a judge ordered acquittal because a prosecution witness was missing, or refused to give

1 Jul 2002 : Column 24W

evidence, where a complaint was withdrawn, or where a witness was unable to give evidence. This category accounts for 5.4 per cent. of the total number of cases and 33.9 per cent. of the total number of judge-ordered and directed acquittals.

A further 3,078 (3.6 per cent. of the total) resulted in a judge-ordered acquittal because of doubts over the admissibility, reliability or strength of evidence (other than identification evidence).

A more detailed list of reasons for these outcomes will be available following the introduction of the CPS Compass Case Management System due to roll-out between April and December 2003.

(20) This column shows the number of defendants whose case resulted in judge-ordered and directed acquittal.

(21) This column expresses these figures as a percentage of completed Crown Court cases, excluding appeals and committals for sentence.

DEFENCE

Helicopter Equipment

Mr. Keetch:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to install an integrated cockpit voice and flight data recorder with a health and usage monitoring system into (a) Sea King Mk 3, (b) Sea King Mk 3A, (c) Lynx and (d) Puma aircraft; at what stage these plans are; and if he will make a statement. [64850]

Mr. Ingram:
We are examining how we can derive the maximum benefit for these in-service helicopters from integrated cockpit voice and flight data recorders, and the health and usage monitoring system. Final decisions have yet to be taken as to which helicopter types will be fitted with this equipment, and to what timescale.

Housing

Mr. Cox:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many military service properties in the United Kingdom are waiting to be sold. [54633]

Dr. Moonie:
If "military service properties" refers to housing, most of the family quarters estate in England and Wales was sold to Annington Homes Ltd. (AHL) in November 1996. The sale to AHL did not cover Scotland. The Defence Housing Executive (DHE) leases back from AHL the properties it needs to house service families. Under the sale agreement, DHE must hand back 13,213 properties to AHL over the first 25 years (i.e. to 2021). In financial year 200102, 2,305 properties were released to AHL and a further 220 family quarters still owned by my Department were passed to Defence Estates (DE) for disposal.

To date in 2002, 1,884 leased properties in England and Wales have been handed back to AHL. On 31 March 2002 DE were actively preparing in excess of 600 houses for sale.

More generally, the number of sites (other than housing) in disposal changes from day to day as some are sold and others come forward for disposal.

Land Sales

Mr. Luff:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list land within the Defence Estates portfolio that (a) is being offered for sale and (b) will be offered in the next 12 months, giving its (i) location and (ii) size. [59068]

Dr. Moonie:
The information requested for the Ministry of Defence is as follows.

Site

Location

Area hectares (ha)

Former range, Asfordby Training Area

Leicestershire

16



Former Officers Mess site RAF Watton

Norfolk

11.3



Seinefeine Land Gt. Cressingham

Norfolk

4.004

To be acquired by highways agency for road improvements

Part of RAF Syerston Gliding Sch

Nottinghamshire

17.6



Tuddenham land

Suffolk

0.050

Two sites 0.025 hectares each

Cemetery Land at Waterbeach

Cambridgeshire

0.606

To be acquired by local parish for the extension of the cemetery

Sports pitch, Bordon

Hampshire

1.254

Sports pitch only. Also selling St. Lucia Lodge

INF Greenham Common



29.88

Council has pre-emptive right

Land at Aborfield

Berkshire

29.88



4 building plots at Hermitage

Berkshire

0.023



RAF Edelsborough

Buckinghamshire

72

Former owner has expressed interest

Woodvale Training area

Merseyside

33



Oil Fuel Depot Sully

Vale of Glamorgan

0.10



Arras Lines

Catterick

6

(22)

Ralston Ranges



28.40

(22)

Forest Moor Farm Land

North Yorkshire

33.10

Two sites

Forest Moor Farm Land

North Yorkshire

87

Three sites(22)

Morfa Camp, Tywn

Gwynedd

40



Wellbank Camp and Bungalow

Cumbria

4.40



Saighton Camp

Cheshire

48.58



RNAD Broughton Moor

Cumbria

433.61



Smalmstown Farm, Longtown

Cumbria

101



RAF Boulmer Old Admin Site

Northumberland

4.04

(22)

RE Depot, Long Martson

Warwickshire

0.287

(22)

RAF Burtonwood

Cheshire

92.30

(22)

Deysbrook Barracks

Liverpool

42.72

(22)

RAF Church Fenton and Olla Grange

North Yorkshire

18.5

(22)

RAF Shawbury site D

Shropshire

6.04

(22)

RAF Shawbury site E

Shropshire

8.166

(22)

Hayston Farm, Castlemartin

Monmouthsire

627.59

Five sites

Hayston Farm, Castlemartin

Monmouthsire

172.57

Eight sites(22)

Halton

Catterick

Not finalised

(22)

Scotton Buildings

Catterick

0.10



Rolstone Range

Catterick

41



Hythe



0.065



Piling Camp and Range



42.8



Beith Agricultural Land

Ayrshire

37.182



Crombie Former Putting Green Dunfermline

Fife

0.05



InvernessDev site

Inverness

0.01



Crawfordsburn

Co. Down

1.064



DIVIS Mountain, Belfast

Co. Antrim

598.9



Dobbin Hill

Co. Armagh

1.057



St. Lucia

Omagh

1.344



Paddock, Corsham

Wiltshire

3.3



Elmdene, Durrington

Wiltshire

0.09



TAC Devizes

Wiltshire

3

(22)

Marchwood Development Plots

Hampshire

88.01

(22)

Coleridge Training Area

Devon

1.935

(22)

Coleridge Training Area

Devon

5.907

(22)

Coleridge Training Area

Devon

12.364

(22)

5 Langton Park

Wiltshire

0.98



TA Newbury

Berkshire

0.17



Dean Hill Land

Hampshire

232.19



TAC Bridgewater

Somerset

0.5

Land and buildings

HMS Mercury

Hampshire

7.09



Land at Wyvern Barracks, Exeter

Devon

4.265



OFD Turnchapel

Devon

2.74



Frater House

Hampshire

0.66

(22)

Portsdown Main

Devon

18.15



TAC Millbay

Devon

1.006



Peel Circus, Corsham

Wiltshire

8.69



RNCF Holton Heath

Dorset

28.81

(22)

Land adj. 57 Higher Wood, Bovington

Dorset

8.04

(22)

Wainscott Camp

Kent

4.61

(22)

Site A Monxton Road, Andover

Hampshire

3.5

(22)

(22) Indicates land likely to be offered in the next 12 months, compared to land currently being offered.

1 Jul 2002 : Column 25W

It should be noted that these figures represent only a "snapshot" of the situation in regard to sites in disposal. Land is declared surplus and comes forward for disposal frequently, and sites are sold on a regular basis.

1 Jul 2002 : Column 26W

The list is also restricted to land, rather than buildings and thus does not constitute the totality of MOD sites in disposal.